***
Niall pulled into the parking stall that was just in front of the shop. He liked how inviting the store looked, luring passers-by to come in and look around. As much as he wanted to keep his promise to Kevan, he knew she would forgive him if he could broker a peace deal between the sisters.
Getting out of Marcus’ borrowed Bentley, he looked around, getting a sense of something, but not quite sure what. Then, with a last glance around he walked into the shop. The bell over the door announced his arrival, and was followed by a shout from the back, telling him to look around.
He wandered about, checking out the items for sale. He was impressed with the quality of the beads and cards, but the jewelry drew his attention, especially one piece.
He had always known that Kevan was talented, but so it would seem was her sister. It was amazing that they both had such affinity with design. He could pick out Kevan’s pieces; they were a bit more refined and sophisticated. Brennan’s weren’t any less beautiful, yet they had an earthy, rough quality to them, which certainly drew ones attention. There was one piece that grabbed him, a pendant, the design done in a grid, four across and four down, 16 stones in total, each one set within the protection of a silver square. Each of the stones had a special quality, and a hum of power emitting from the pendant was palpable.
He was able to pick out at least eight of the stones that he knew to have protection qualities. So engrossed in what he was looking at, for the first time in more years than he could remember, someone caught him off guard.
“Hello,” Brennan greeted as she walked up behind him. Waiting for the screams of accusation, he faced the bad ass of the Cameron family, as he had heard Kevan describe her more than once. What he found didn’t match the picture he had in his head. Brennan wasn’t as tall as Kevan or Kaitlyn, but her proud stance made her seem taller. He swept his eyes over her, taking in her shoulder length, rich mocha brown hair with flashes of auburn that shone as it moved in the sunlight, to her deep brown eyes with flecks of gold in them. She was stunningly gorgeous, but seemed not to be aware of her appeal. He continued to stare, making her nervous; it showed in her face, and he realized what he was doing.
“Hello,” she repeated, ready to run if she had to.
“Hello,” Niall finally replied.
“I see that the protection grid has caught your attention,” she turned on the businesswoman, sensing a sale. “It’s 16 stones, all have protection qualities of some kind associated with them, and they’re set in a silver box grid.”
“You did a beautiful job,” he commented.
“Thank you. How did you know that I made this piece?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted, “but how did you know that?” Brennan asked cautiously.
“I just do,” shrugging his shoulders, “I’ll take it.”
“It’s very expensive,” she warned him.
“How much?” he asked, not caring.
“It’s $900.00.” Brennan waited for the gasp of disbelief.
Instead, he pulled out his wallet, handing her a black Amex card. Brennan stared at the card in his hand. She had heard of the black Amex cards, but had never seen one, and she wasn’t sure that it was real, as she quickly wrote up the sale and waited to see if was approved. “It’s real,” he told her.
“I’m sorry?” she muttered, looking up at him, confusion on her face.
“The card, it’s real.”
“So it would seem,” Brennan remarked, handing him the card, followed by the bag with the pendant inside. Brennan was still having a hard time accepting that he hadn’t even blinked at the price. She’d priced it high, waiting for just the right person to buy it. Many had looked at it and commented on how much they liked it, but not the price. One woman had been quite rude when Brennan had refused to bargain with her, but her heart and soul had gone into the piece. She considered it one of her best ever. When she had designed it, she had always pictured it for a man, not a woman. “I hope you enjoy your purchase, please come back anytime.”
“That depends on you, Brennan.”
Stepping back, giving him a quick once over, tingles of concern crawled up her spine. “How do you know my name?” she demanded, preparing herself for anything.
“I think I would have known you, even if we hadn’t met here at the shop. Kevan’s description, she had you almost to a T.”
“You know Kevan?” Brennan remarked, relaxing somewhat.
“We met when she was taking the course in England.” A smile broke out of Brennan’s face.
“You’re … what was it? … I know, Nigel, right?”
“Actually, it’s Niall,” he corrected, and she looked confused. “Don’t worry. Kevan thought it was Nigel as well. Sorry, Niall’s the name.”
“Oh,” Brennan accepted, still not understanding. “Did Kevan know you were coming, she’s not here at the moment …” Her voice trailed off, watching his uneasy shifting, then like a cloud burst, something came to her.
“She didn’t know I was coming, but I’ve seen her, and she misses you,” he informed her.
Brennan put the cash desk between them. “Oh gods,” she spat, “you’re one of them, aren’t you?” She knew that the man standing in front of her wasn’t just a friend of Kevan’s.
“If you’re referring to the fact I’m a cairbare. Yes, I’m a cairbare. Actually, when it comes down to it, I’m one of the top ones.”
“Get out!” she ordered.
“Look, I just want to talk with you for a moment, and then I’ll leave.”
“I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” Brennan spat, as the business woman disappeared, and her protective bitch instincts kicked in. “How long has Kevan known?”
“She only found out yesterday,” Niall told her; “So don’t be mad at her.”
“Whether I’m angry or not, is none of your business. I want you to leave my shop.”
“I thought Kevan was part owner?” Niall questioned.
“She is,” Brennan admitted without hesitation.
“So, I can tell her she hasn’t lost her business?”
“What are you talking about?” Brennan snapped, her anger starting to boil over. “Kevan’s my business partner.”
“I’m glad to hear that. She’s under the impression you’ve kicked her out of the shop, and the family.”
“That’s not true,” Brennan, sputtered.
“So you didn’t tell her to choose between her family and us?”
“What?” Brennan gasped, not liking the way the conversation was headed.
“I’m just trying to make sure I have all the facts. I don’t want to get Kevan excited; only to find out you’ve changed your mind.” Niall warned her. “I guess she just misunderstood you yesterday.”
“Yes, I said those things,” Brennan had to admit. “But …” she stopped unable to put into words what she wanted to say.
“So you don’t think she needs to choose between us now? I’m glad,” Niall smiled.
“I didn’t say that,” Brennan told him. “Why can’t you all just disappear again? We don’t need the trouble you’re going to bring into our lives.”
“And what trouble have we brought into your lives, or the lives of your family? We haven’t had anything to do with your family for almost 80 years, or were you referring to Elizabeth’s descendants? I’d like to know what we’ve done, I mean other than protecting them, making sure they’ve prospered over the years and didn’t have to struggle. I know it was all the impositions on your time, when we would show up at all times of the day or night, or call you every day ….” He watched the confusion on her face. “But you can’t say if that’s true or not, can you? You don’t know, do you? What, nothing to say, no smart-ass remark?” Niall finished his tirade.
Her rigid attitude pissed him off; she wasn’t even going to give him a chance. They were bot
h so intent on each other that they didn’t hear the door open until the voice behind them broke the tension.
“Brennan, is everything okay?” Brennan looked past Niall, who blocked her view of the door.
She spotting Gerald standing there made her groan mentally, and wish this wasn’t happening right now, “Hello Gerald,” she greeted the man. Why did he have to show up now? She had cut their date short when she had received Eve’s call, not that she wanted Raven to be hurt, but she also didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She’d never been so happy to have the excuse of saying that one of her sisters had been hurt, because it had gotten her out of the most boring date ever. She didn’t want to admit it, but Kevan had been completely right, Gerald was a nice man, but boring didn’t even cover it.
Since then, he had called numerous times to check on Raven, which was sweet of him. Except, he also tried to reschedule their interrupted date, he didn’t seem to be getting the hint that she didn’t want to reschedule, and she had no idea how to let him down easy.
Niall stepped to the side, shooting a glance at the man standing behind him. Gerald pushed his glasses back up his sweaty nose, but he didn’t step back. Niall had to give him credit. Most people tended to back off, but he wasn’t sure if this time it was for guts, or just plain stupidity.
“Brennan?” Gerald questioned again.
“Everything’s fine, Gerald,” Brennan assured him, “I was just having a ….” She stopped, not quite sure what to say.
“It’s a family disagreement!” Niall supplied. Brennan groaned. Gerald gave her a look, he knew that she didn’t have any male relatives, other than her Father and Uncle; they had talked about it on their date.
“But I didn’t think ….” Before Brennan was able to say a word, Niall stepped in, taking control.
“Please forgive me, I misspoke,” he informed Gerald, but his eyes never left Brennan’s. “I’m a good friend of Brennan’s sister, Kevan, but I consider all of them family.”
“Oh,” Gerald sighed, accepting his explanation.
“You are?” Niall questioned.
“Gerald Matthews, I’m their accountant,” he told Niall, holding out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Gerald; I’m sorry you had to walk in on our family spat,” Niall took the offered hand.
“As long as everything’s okay,” Gerald looked at Brennan’s weak smile.
“Everything’s fine Gerald. Niall’s sticking his nose into something that’s none of his business. We’re just having a minor disagreement, nothing to be concerned with, but I do thank you for checking on me.” Brennan walked him to the door, directing him out without giving him a chance to ask her out again. “I’m really sorry, but Niall and I need to finish our conversation. I’ll call you, okay?”
“Okay,” he mumbled, allowing her to push him out the door.
“Get out!” she hissed at Niall, pointing at the door.
“Gerald looked like he wanted to ask you something,” Niall told her.
“It’s none of your business. Get out,” she ordered.
“I’d bet that Mr. Gerald Matthews, dashing accountant, wanted to ask you out.” Niall smiled, watching her face flush red. “Oh, he has asked you out, and you have no idea how to turn him down without hurting him.” Laughter spilled from Niall. “Priceless!”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Brennan spat, “I want you out of my shop.”
“Oh please, don’t tell me you’re serious about that little mouse.”
“You don’t know anything about Gerald,” Brennan ground out, not wanting to continue this conversation.
“I think I know the type; quiet, unassuming, completely focused on his job and not one idea how to deal with a woman like you.”
Brennan glared at him, “You don’t know me.”
“Your right, I don’t, but I do know you’d never be happy with a man like him.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, just leave,” Brennan demanded again.
“You need a challenge, and to be treated like the passionate, desirable woman you are.”
“And who would that be, you?” Brennan accused him.
“Oh, gods no, I don’t think you’d like the games I like to play,” Niall smiled. “But I can tell you that Gerald’s not the man for you.”
“I don’t even want to know,” she shuddered. “Leave, or else I’ll call the cops.”
He watched her for a moment. “No need for the police, I’ll leave when I’ve said what I came to say.”
“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
That was when Niall began to lose his patience. “You’re going to listen, or else I’ll tie you to the chair and make you listen. It’s your choice.”
Brennan burned with anger. “Fine, say what you have to say, and then get out of my shop.”
“I knew you’d see things my way,” he smirked. At that moment, Brennan wanted more than anything to slap it off his face.
“You have one minute,” she warned.
“You are the most stubborn person I have ever met. You’ve decided you know all there is to know about us, without giving us a chance to tell our side of the story. You’ve set yourself up as judge and jury, when you have no right to be either. You know nothing of us, or the lives we’ve lived. So until you’ve had to do some of the things we’ve had to do, don’t stand in judgment of us. You’ve declared, because Kevan is willing to listen, that she can’t be part of the family. That hurt her a lot; if you don’t do something to fix it, you may never be able to. There’s nothing worse than losing family, but you’re not losing yours, you’re throwing parts of it away.” He held out a card to her.
“What’s this?” she questioned, taking it gingerly between her fingertips.
“On the front are numbers that will reach us at any time. On the back is Caleb’s address, if you decide you want talk to your sister.”
“I should have known that’s where she’d go,” Brennan declared, shooting him a look of anger.
“You didn’t leave her a lot of choice.”
“She made her choice,” Brennan stated.
“No, you forced her to make that choice, but I don’t think she’s regretting it. One day you may have to make a choice, a choice that Kevan may not agree with, do you think she would treat you, the same way you have treated her? I just want you to think about that,” Niall stated, pulling out the keys. “I’m done. Thank you for listening, I know you’d rather do just about anything else, but I do appreciate you giving me a chance to say my piece. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Brennan watched him leave the shop and climb into the car parked out front. She realized she was shaking and it wasn’t due to the encounter with Niall, at least not entirely. He had pointed out a few things, and she didn’t like what she saw; she needed to think about what he had said.